The Whole and Healthy Family: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Mind, Body, and Spirit

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Dunifon R. E., Ziol-Guest K. M., & Kopko K (2014). Grandparent coresidence and family well-being. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 654, 110–126. doi:10.1177/0002716214526530 [ Google Scholar] Spending time alone allows a person to reflect, unwind, problem-solve and more. Especially in this age of connectedness, when everyone seemingly has a mobile device tethered to them, it’s important to allow each other to disconnect when they feel the need. Healthy families make a habit of respecting each other’s alone time. 5. Learn to Listen Nomaguchi K. M., Milkie M. A., & Bianchi S. B (2005). Time strains and psychological well-being: Do dual-earner mothers and fathers differ? Journal of Family Issues, 26, 756–792. doi:10.1177/0192513X05277524 [ Google Scholar] Watch educational shows or documentaries as a family. Start a family book club or even decide to write a book that aligns with your passion. Your children are not your peers in very many ways, but learning new things together is a way to level the playing field a little, encouraging inquisitiveness in your child while letting them know you’re open-minded, too. 10. Watch the News as a Family

Married people, on average, enjoy better mental health, physical health, and longer life expectancy than divorced/separated, widowed, and never-married people ( Hughes & Waite, 2009; Simon, 2002), although the health gap between the married and never married has decreased in the past few decades ( Liu & Umberson, 2008). Moreover, marital links to well-being depend on the quality of the relationship; those in distressed marriages are more likely to report depressive symptoms and poorer health than those in happy marriages ( Donoho, Crimmins, & Seeman, 2013; Liu & Waite, 2014; Umberson, Williams, Powers, Liu, & Needham, 2006), whereas a happy marriage may buffer the effects of stress via greater access to emotional support ( Williams, 2003). A number of studies suggest that the negative aspects of close relationships have a stronger impact on well-being than the positive aspects of relationships (e.g., Rook, 2014), and past research shows that the impact of marital strain on health increases with advancing age ( Liu & Waite, 2014; Umberson et al., 2006). Carpenter C., & Gates G. J (2008). Gay and lesbian partnership: Evidence from California. Demography, 45, 573–590. doi:10.1353/dem.0.0014 [ PMC free article] [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] Blustein J., Chan S., & Guanais F. C (2004). Elevated depressive symptoms among caregiving grandparents. Health Services Research, 39, 1671–1689. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2004.00312.x [ PMC free article] [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar]Liu H., & Waite L (2014). Bad marriage, broken heart? Age and gender differences in the link between marital quality and cardiovascular risks among older adults. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 55, 403–423 doi:10.1177/0022146514556893 [ PMC free article] [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] Audrey Roloff, New York Times bestselling author of A Love Letter Life and cofounder of The Marriage Journal Kiecolt-Glaser J. K., & Newton T. L (2001). Marriage and health: His and hers. Psychological Bulletin, 127, 472–503. doi:10.1037//0033-2909.127.4.472 [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] Seeman T. E., Singer B. H., Ryff C. D., Love G. D., & Levy-Storms L (2002). Social relationships, gender, and allostatic load across two age cohorts. Psychosomatic Medicine, 64, 395–406. doi:10.1097/00006842-200205000-00004 [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] Overall, it was somewhat fascinating, and at other times, eyebrow raising, to get a peek into this family’s life.

If planning active days for your family helps cover your physical health, sometimes taking lazy days to relax and do nothing can help your entire family’s mental health. [13] 9. Learn Together Giving children a voice in family plans allows them to communicate and stand up for the things that they want to do, as well as to consider others’ input and even learn to compromise. If you’ve gotten into the habit of the parents being authoritarian in planning activities, you can certainly try to get into the habit of getting everybody involved. 4. Respect Alone Time Pinquart M., & Sorensen S (2006). Gender differences in caregiver stressors, social resources, and health: An updated meta-analysis. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 61, P33–P45. doi:10.1093/geronb/61.1.P33 [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] But what would you do if your child flipped the script and asked you: “What did YOU learn today?” Could you give them an answer?Thomas P. A. (2016). The impact of relationship-specific support and strain on depressive symptoms across the life course. Journal of Aging and Health, 28, 363–382. doi:10.1177/0898264315591004 [ PMC free article] [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] Pienta A. M., Hayward M. D., & Jenkins K. R (2000). Health consequences of marriage for the retirement years. Journal of Family Issues, 21, 559–586. doi:10.1177/019251300021005003 [ Google Scholar] Liu H., Reczek C., & Brown D (2013). Same-sex cohabitors and health: The role of race-ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 54, 25. doi:10.1177/0022146512468280 [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] How often do you go on a vacation with your family and encounter complaining children? Something’s too boring, or you’re too busy. Involving the whole family in vacation planning might help. [5]

Swartz T. (2009). Intergenerational family relations in adulthood: Patterns, variations, and implications in the contemporary United States. Annual Review of Sociology, 35, 191–212. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.34.040507.134615 [ Google Scholar]Williams K. (2004). The transition to widowhood and the social regulation of health: Consequences for health and health risk behavior. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 59, S343–S349. doi:10.1093/ geronb/59.6.S343 [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar]